


What I Do For You

by sunsxleil



Series: Merry Christmas, I Love You [22]
Category: Carol (2015)
Genre: Domestic Fluff, F/F, Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-26
Updated: 2020-12-26
Packaged: 2021-03-10 22:42:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 841
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28341090
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sunsxleil/pseuds/sunsxleil
Summary: Despite usually being the one to play the piano, Therese wakes up the day after Christmas to discordant piano notes and an empty bed—which can only mean one person on their piano, surprisingly.
Relationships: Carol Aird/Therese Belivet
Series: Merry Christmas, I Love You [22]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2035672
Comments: 2
Kudos: 29





	What I Do For You

**Author's Note:**

> This, weirdly enough, came to me in a dream. I literally dreamed of this certain kind of scenario, though of course I changed it up a bit to make more sense and to fit more with the characters. Anyway, hope you guys like it!

When Therese wakes up, she has the vaguest sense of having a slight headache. They were a little drunk coming home last night, her more than Carol. The party had run a little late, gotten a little out of hand, and Therese knows she should start learning how to drive so she and Carol could at least take turns getting piss drunk on Christmas and New Year’s parties. So, it doesn’t come as a surprise to her when she wakes up slightly disoriented, with a little bit of a hangover.

What _does_ surprise her is the discordant piano notes muffled by the bedroom walls, made a little worse by her headache.

Therese stumbles out of bed with a hand on her head, tying her robe tighter around her as she makes her way out. Opening the bedroom door makes the notes sound louder, which affirms her suspicions of the sounds coming from their living room piano. None of their neighbors ever made the sound of a piano being played, so unless someone got a piano for Christmas, it really would just be their own apartment that the sound could be coming from.

And waking up to an empty bed really narrows down Therese’s list of suspects.

Padding down the hallway and stopping just short of the corner to the living room, Therese peers over at the piano and feels her heart lurch. Carol has always been adorable trying things she doesn’t usually do, and Therese always finds herself biting her lip when she sees Carol doing such. But _this_ —this tops it all off.

Carol, brows knit and fingers hovering on the piano keys, carefully brings a finger down to play another note. She sighs, and every succeeding note brings her closer yet further to the melody she wants to hear. A familiar tune, but considering how out of her comfort zone Carol is, Therese isn’t surprised to barely recognize what the melody is supposed to be.

Though, she has a guess.

In the most silent way possible, she makes her way over to Carol. Easy, considering how focused Carol is, and how frustrated from not being able to play the tune remotely close to how Therese plays it. Therese lets her knees bump softly against the piano bench, sliding her arms over Carol’s and pressing her nose in Carol’s hair.

“You’re pressing the wrong keys.” With closed eyes, Therese relaxes her fingers, and plays the first few notes of Easy Living.

“I see that.” Carol chuckles, and she leans her head back. Therese pulls away from the back of Carol’s head and meets her halfway, letting their lips press together. “I hope I didn’t wake you with my horrible playing.”

“It wasn’t that horrible.” Therese says. Then, Carol narrows her eyes at her, which makes Therese laugh. “It could’ve been worse.”

Carol rolls her eyes with a smile. “Play it better for me then.”

Carol is looking at Therese with nothing but her robe on, hair messed up probably from too many times of running her hand thrice through her hair out of frustration. There are bags under Carol’s eyes, but she nonetheless looks beautiful, radiant, cheeks as bright as the look in her eyes when she’s looking at Therese. Even without lipstick, her lips are as plump as Therese had ever seen them. _Her_ Carol—her love.

Therese slips away from behind Carol and takes the seat beside her on the piano bench. With poised fingers, she begins to play their favorite tune.

Carol sways, and Therese is compelled to sway with her. When Carol begins to hum, it’s hard not to keep playing, especially when Carol scoots in closer to her and leans her head on Therese’s shoulder. Though neither of them can really, actually sing, Therese sings anyway.

“ _Living for you, it’s easy living, it’s easy to live,_ ” Therese looks down at Carol as she sings, and it’s hard not to smile as she does. Carol looks back up at Therese with her own smile painted on her lips, and they just sway there, humming and singing along to the melody that takes them back every time to that first night, when Carol took Therese home.

When Therese finishes playing, she pulls Carol against her. Carol nuzzles into the crook of Therese’s neck, and smiles into her skin.

Therese twirls a bunch of Carol’s hair on her finger. “Why were you playing the piano while I was asleep?”

“Hm?” Carol hums into Therese’s neck, and Therese admits it tickles a little. “I wanted to see if I could play our song on the piano, like you do.”

“I could teach you if you like.” Therese says.

“Oh, just always play it for me.” Carol says. She pulls away from the crook of Therese’s neck, with her hands still on Therese’s waist. “It seems too much for my patience.”

They laugh, on the piano bench, and Therese can’t help but admit how beautiful of a sight it is to have Carol in her arms, laughing with her there.

**Author's Note:**

> For those who would like to know, my dream was more cartoonish piano playing of Easy Living by Carol and Therese, so I changed it up a bit to make more sense. I don't know how I ended up dreaming of them, but I guess that's life now.
> 
> Sorry for skipping Christmas! I was a bit tired at the end of the day, and I was planning something that couldn't fit my energy levels at all, so I decided to just write again today. I will try to make up for it before New Year. Fingers crossed!
> 
> Anyway, all mistakes are mine, and I don't own the characters—Patricia Highsmith does. Hope you guys enjoyed that, and I hope you all had a safe and Merry Christmas!


End file.
